P Chidambaram
In more trouble for former finance minister P Chidamabarm, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday named him as an accused in the Aircel-Maxis case.
Apart from Chidambaram, his son Karti and 16 others have also been listed as accused in this case.
The case relates to the foreign investment clearance for the Aircel-Maxis deal in 2006, when P Chidambaram was Finance Minister in Manmohan Singh-led UPA government at the Centre.
The agency filed its supplementary charge sheet before special CBI judge O P Saini who fixed it for considering on July 31.
Reacting to CBI’s fresh chargesheet, Chidambaram alleged that the probe agency has been pressured to take action against him to support a “preposterous” allegation.
“CBI has been pressured to file a charge sheet to support a preposterous allegation against me and officers with a sterling reputation,” Chidambaram tweeted.
Chidambaram said the case is now before a court and it will be “vigorously” contested.
“I shall make no more public comment,” he added.
The CBI was conducting probe as to how Chidambaram, who was the finance minister in 2006, granted Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval to a foreign firm when only Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) was empowered to do it.
The senior Congress leader’s role had come under the scanner of investigating agencies in the Aircel-Maxis deal of Rs 3,500 crore and INX Media case involving Rs 305 crore.
In its charge sheet filed earlier in the case against former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran, his brother Kalanithi Maran and others, the agency had alleged that Chidambaram had granted FIPB approval in March 2006 to Mauritius-based Global Communication Services Holdings Ltd, a subsidiary of Maxis.
The Maran brothers and other accused, who were listed in the CBI charge sheet earlier, were discharged by the special court which had said that the agency had failed to produce any material against them to proceed with the trial.
The CBI had alleged in the charge sheet against the Marans that Global Communication Services Holdings Ltd had sought FIPB approval for USD 800 million for which only the CCEA was competent, but Chidambaram had given approval to the firm in March 2006.
It had claimed that the finance minister was competent to accord approval on project proposals of up to Rs 600 crore and proposals beyond this required the approval of the CCEA.
The Enforcement Directorate is also probing a separate money laundering case in the Aircel-Maxis deal in which Chidambaram and Karti have been questioned by the agency.
Both Chidambaram and Karti have denied the allegations levelled against them by the CBI and ED.
Watch: P Chidambaram named accused in Aircel-Maxis deal case
(With agency inputs)
